MP 0.72vs Leica SL3
Leica
MP 0.72 (2003)
Starting from £4850 new
Best for Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography
View MP 0.72
Leica
Leica SL3 (2024)
Starting from £6499 new
Best for Professional & luxury hybrid shooters
View Leica SL3
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography — MP 0.72 (2003): The purist's Leica — a fully mechanical 35mm rangefinder with no electronics bar the meter. Still built by hand in Wetzlar. The most honest camera ever made.
Professional & Luxury Hybrid Shooters — Leica SL3 (2024): Leica's most capable mirrorless — 60MP, 30fps burst, 8K ProRes, and 7.5-stop IBIS with L-mount's growing lens ecosystem.
Who should buy what
MP 0.72 (2003)
- Serious film photographers who want the finest rangefinder ever made
- Street and documentary photographers who shoot Kodak Tri-X or HP5
- Leica M-mount collectors and long-term lens owners
- Photographers who value mechanical precision over electronic convenience
Leica SL3 (2024)
- Leica photographers who want autofocus full-frame in the L-mount system
- SL2 owners upgrading to 60MP and improved autofocus performance
- Professionals who want Leica build quality with L-mount lens versatility
- Photographers who want to share lenses across Leica, Sigma, and Lumix bodies
Quick take: The mp 0.72 is the most affordable; only the leica sl3 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | MP 0.72 (2003) | Leica SL3 (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,850 | £6,499 |
| Sensor | 35mm film | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 60.0MP |
| Video | — | 8K/30p, 4K/60p, Apple ProRes |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder — coupled 0.72× viewfinder | Phase-detect AF with subject/face/eye detection |
| Stabilisation | — | 7.5-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | ~1fps (manual film advance) | 30fps electronic |
| Battery Life | Effectively unlimited — battery powers meter only | 410 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 600g (body only) | 875g body only |
| Dimensions | 138 × 77 × 38mm | 146.0 × 104.0 × 42.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.72× magnification, 28–135mm framelines | 0.78" OLED EVF, 5.76M dots |
| Screen | None | 3.2" fixed touchscreen |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Leica L-mount |
| Memory Cards | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 recommended) | Dual SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | None | USB-C 3.1, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | MP 0.72 | Leica SL3 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with MP 0.72
Camera family history